| Oct. 22, 2009
CONTACT: Ward Mullens
ward.mullens@emich.edu 734.487.4400
|
EMU free training seminar offers small businesses chance to protect information
YPSILANTI —Technology has made it possible for a thief to not be present at a business to steal from it.
Case in point. Recently, a young man with a laptop sat in his car outside of a major retail chain and siphoned private customer information from the store’s wireless connection. Fortunately, he was caught by the FBI.
Large retail chains have large information assurance departments and loss prevention teams, but smaller businesses may not know where to turn for help.
Eastern Michigan University’s Center for Information Assurance is helping small businesses receive free help by sponsoring the Cyber Security Training Seminar, Friday, Oct. 30, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sheraton Ann Arbor. For information, call 487-3170.
“We want to help our students while giving small businesses the ability to protect their information from threats,” said Gerald “Skip” Lawver, director of EMU’s information assurance program. “Small businesses are considered low-hanging fruit for cyber criminals because they are easy to steal from. Cyber criminals steal millions from small businesses.”
The seminar offers workshops including cyber security landscape, industrial control systems applications, practical applications of cyber security and cyber security evaluation tools (CSET).
Instruction for the seminar will be provided by the Critical Infrastructure Cyber Protection and Awareness Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The seminar will provide a foundation for small business owners and representatives to understand the changing landscape of cyber security and evaluate where they may need help in protecting their business, Lawver said.
Once the training is complete, businesses would be eligible to enlist the help of students from the information assurance program, either through internship or co-op (paid internship).
Lawver said there are approximately 100 students who could help area businesses with protecting their information.
Some companies are not comfortable putting that kind of information in the hands of a student, Lawver said. But he added that the program has vetted every student and has reviewed their resume to ensure the student meets predetermined standards for their area of expertise.
“The risk is minimal for businesses and the return is tangible,” Lawver said.
The seminar also is being sponsored by Compsat Technology and the State of Michigan Department of Technology.
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